Astrological Influences, May 2022: Month of the Magical Crusader

May is marked by two powerful and seemingly diverse currents. On the one hand, we are moved to transform our deepest relational attitudes and on the other, to campaign loudly for a project or cause.

Pluto, planet of transmutation, is retrograde, turning the forces of change inward. There’s no energy quite like love to make for positive change. Love, the personal, up-close kind, is ruled by Venus. These two planets, Pluto and Venus, intertwine and prevail throughout May. Pluto relates to hidden or inner processes. From day one this month, the Godfather planet is in aspect with the Goddess planet, and Pluto also rules the powerful Lunar Eclipse that comes midmonth.

Jupiter will be transiting both Venus and Pluto, further amplifying their influence. But that’s not all Jupiter will do. The loud planet will be moving from the subtle sign of Pisces into come-on-strong Aries, where it will have an even harder time than usual keeping its mouth shut. And before the month ends, Jupiter will be joined by ruler Mars, the solar system’s other promoter. By that time, both planets will have made a name for themselves: Jupiter having harmonized with powerhouse Pluto, and Venus entering and being energized by Mars’ home territory, the sign of Aries.

On the one hand, our relationship issues will call us to walk through our shadows and heal them. These are deep processes whose resolution requires application: journaling, therapy, 12-step groups, shadow work, prayer and/or meditation. Yet Jupiter and Mars will not want to hole up or turn off the lights to look inward. This duo is ready to mount a horse, Paul Revere style, and rush out to share the news. What news? Whatever they feel their cause to be. The trick is to commit to our inner work and, when the drive and motivation surge, take the opportunity to get moving and get our message out. The magic unfurls as we allow ourselves to promote our cause even while we’re still in the process of exploring our shadows.

Most of these energies are present in the Lunar Eclipse, and we can see them already playing out in the Depp-Heard trial. Dark secrets, obsessive love, intimate abuse, power struggles, couples psychology, shit on a double bed, bruises and make-up… these are a Venus-Pluto-Venus mix. Millions of people have watched or read about the high-profile trial, and as we do, we’ve thought about our own hidden relational patterns or those of someone close to us. (This trial and its outcome are likely to be drawn out over the coming weeks and perhaps months, as more notes pop up about Will and Jada, Kim’s sex video, and related Venus-Pluto archetypes.) On the crusader side of the energies, we are getting a presage of Jupiter—planet of law and publication—in feisty Aries, fighting in court and on social media.

As a result of this trial, will more people end up getting therapy? Will they see the shit on the sheets or writing on the wall (from Depp’s bloody finger) and set limits in their own relationships? Will we get on track (or persevere) with healing childhood shadows? It’s intriguing that weeks earlier, another high-profile couple triggered adjacent symbols when Will Smith hit Chris Rock at the Oscars in defense of Jada, opening the can of worms of his own relational issues. True to Pluto form, we looked at the fact—albeit involuntary and with a certain collective disgust—that even those who embody a public pinnacle of achievement have their stuff, stuff that if not treated can seep to the surface like radioactive waste, wiping life and beauty off the stage.

Eclipses are felt months before and after the event itself. Although the factors behind these Hollywood episodes have been brewing for some time, their brazen emergence in the public eye coincides with this month’s windows that, as we will explore a bit further on, can contribute to healing our shadows.

As the month begins, we will already be in the dance.... Now, become a Premium subscriber and find out what to expect during the rest of May!  … SUBSCRIBE!